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Wisconsin Democratic senate nominee Mandela Barnes has two new ads out this week, backed by a $1 million-plus buy.
The first ad features Barnes' response to attacks on him from Republicans that attack him for being too progressive for the state.
"We knew the other side would make up lies about me to scare you," Barnes says to-camera while unpacking groceries. "Now, they’re claiming I want to defund the police and abolish ICE."
“That’s a lie,” he says.
The second ad highlights Barnes' plan to bring manufacturing jobs to Wisconsin.
"You deserve a senator who protects your jobs, not one who sends them overseas. I'll work to bring manufacturing back home," Barnes says in the ad.
According to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, the ads are backed by a $1.2 million ad buy from Tuesday through September 5 unless the campaign opts to extend it.
In the same time frame, an outside Republican group is spending even more than Barnes, according to AdImpact.
One Nation, the non-profit arm of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority leadership, has $1.4 million worth of ad time booked from August 30 to September 5.
They're running ads supporting Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, Barnes' opponent.
The ads highlight Johnson's commitment to lowering inflation and reducing the deficit and feature constituents who praise him for his work.
Since the state's August 9 primary, One Nation has spent almost $3.2 million on ads backing Johnson, while Barnes has spent just over $3.2 million on ads boosting himself. In the same time frame, Johnson has spent just over $1.3 million on ads.
